Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 129: A Dark Request

A young man in a wide brimmed hat whistled happily as he walked through the outskirts of Trinquile, a heavy bag of coins jingling in his palm. He had just gotten his monthly pay, and he was looking forward to returning to his family.

Daisy, his young wife and Bo, his two year old son would be waiting eagerly for him, and in his pack jingled a variety of toys for the young Bo. A wide smile appeared on his face as the sun came out from behind the clouds, could his afternoon get any better?

A distorted sound sounded out, and the young man was about to look around for the source of the noise, but then the young man let out a small grunt, and the front half of his body fell forwards with a dull thud. 

Krieg stepped out of the portal that had just opened, and onto the remains of the back half of the young man.

"Oh ****. Look at all this filth, I'll have to buy a new pair of boots." Krieg said with disgust and spat on the ground as he stepped forward. 

Then, he paused for a moment, and looked back. Within moments, another portal had opened beneath the remains of the young man, and he disappeared into the Void, removing the evidence of Krieg's carelessness.

"Best not to give Ventus any other excuses to bother me." Krieg smiled to himself, and opened another portal, stepping through. 

On the cobblestones that led out from Trinquile, a lone bloody boot print remained, the only remnant of the happy young man who had been so eager to return to his family.

Krieg opened a succession of portals, taking more care with the subsequent portal; he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention from any of his fellow Mages.

A few hundred meters from Balin, amongst the tall grasses of the plains, Krieg stood, and opened another portal ahead of him, waiting a few moments before connecting to another that he opened on the bridge to the keep.

He would have likely to teleport within the keep itself, but there were few individuals, if any, who could ignore the runes that were woven so thoroughly throughout the Magemetal infused stone that made up the keep.

A pair of guards were dozing off at the gates, enjoying the light warmth of the evening sun, but were shocked awake by a strange noise, and looked up to find a large purple disc appearing out of thin air at the very middle of the gate.

They both lowered their spears, and stepped forward, ready to defend their king.

A wrinkled old man stepped through and nodded to the pair of them, before walking across the bridge.

"I wish to see the King. He is expecting me." Krieg said softly, he couldn't have acted more like a kindly old man if he had tried.

"Sorry, sir. The King is not expecting any visitors, but I shall go and talk with my superior." The tallest of the guards said politely, before turning to open the small side gate. The gate opened before he could open it himself.

"That won't be necessary." Jonas stepped forward, his silver hair shining in the sun. He wore plainer clothing than usual, but the silver embroidery still shone, and an ebony cane was clutched in one of his hands.

"Please, follow me. The King is expecting you." Jonas said coolly, and walked into the keep. Krieg followed, marveling at the interior of the keep, he knew that it was made up of a rare Magemetal infused stone, but to think that it was this enormous. To him, this was a massive waste, but he could not deny that it would serve as an exceptional defense.

"Tell me, do you have a family member named Lief, you two could be brothers." Krieg's soft voice sounded out as they dipped into one of the many doors that led off the side of the grand hall, completely ignoring the enormous chandelier and throne. 

"No, I do not. As far as I am aware, I'm the only member of my family still alive." Jonas replied curtly. They continued up the spiraling and winding staircases in silence, neither of them wanting to engage in any further conversation.

Now, the pair stood in an antechamber, and Jonas gestured for Krieg to take a seat, before heading inside. 

"He's really here!" Krieg heard an elated cry from within, it seemed that the king was excited to see him, but that would soon change. The door opened again and Jonas bowed slightly.

"His majesty will see you now." Jonas opened the door wide for Krieg, who walked in the well lit chamber. 

Rotan sat at a small table, he had regained much of his health, and currently a bright smile was plastered across his face. Immediately, he came to his feet, and reached out to shark Krieg's hand.

"My humble apologies for the disrespectful letter, but I had to do that to ensure you received my message and to maintain secrecy." Rotan sounded sincere, and his attitude was one of deference to Krieg, an odd way to behave for any king.

"I'm glad it was only a ploy, I was worried that you had forgotten yourself." Krieg was elated internally, he knew it. No King could be so prideful so as to assume that they could order a great Battlemage like him around.

"I know this goes without saying, but I would rather say it anyway. What we discuss now must remain completely secret." Rotan spoke in a hushed tone, though it was completely unnecessary, thanks to the layers upon layers of runes enmeshing the room they were sitting in.

"Alright" Krieg nodded sagely.

"What is your purpose in having me come here? If not for some empty attempt at chastising me?" Krieg added, tapping his foot, a little impatient.

"I have a request for you, I would like for you to kill my cousin, the Grand Marshal Tam." Rotan whispered out, barely believing that the words he was speaking were coming from his own lips.